D3 Glory Days Podcast

Our last episode of 2023. Noah and Stu sit down to discuss Noah's OTQ at CIM. With surgery earlier in the year, Noah completed the couch to OTQ training plan.

He dives into how he handled the build up mentally, how he focused on enjoying running, and what comes next for him.

We also review the year D3 Glory Days had. We experience great growth, had wonderful conversations, and preview what's to come in 2024.

Thanks for sticking with us. We're glad you're here.

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“My mentality that day was, I wanted to improve my tombstone.”

The Olympic Marathon Trials is February 3rd and we plan to tell tales of D3 grads that hit will be in Orlando.

Today, we bring you the story of Dan Vassallo.

Dan qualified for his third Olympic Trials at the McKirdy Micro Marathon in October.

Vassallo’s longevity in the sport is something to be studied. He graduated from Colby in 2007 and immediately jumped into the Marathon.

He didn’t run his first OTQ until 2014 when he won the Philly Marathon in 2:17:28

In 2023, his OTQ time was 2:17:39

The biggest day of his running career came on Marathon Monday in 2018. With the wind howling and the rain crashing down, Vassallo finished 10th overall at the Boston Marathon. Being from the Boston area, this was everything he wanted. He’ll go deeper into the race but something he will always remember.

This is a great D3 journeyman story of continuing to keep the dream alive and realizing it’s worth to still get after it.

How to Support D3 Glory Days:

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“I was absolutely not expecting any of them to come. And so, I think just over the mile mark, I heard they're distinct cheering and saw them on the side and I don't really smile during races, but they got me to smile.”

It’s been a wild 2.5 weeks for Fiona Smith. On November 18th, she won the D3 XC Nationals. Two weeks later, she broke the D3 Indoor 5k record running 15:50. Two days after setting the new record, Smith announced she will be attending NC State as a Grad Transfer next season.

She takes us through what the D1 recruiting process was like and why she ended up choosing NC State. She said coach Laurie Henes said, “So that was one of her big points about making sure that I continue to love the sport, and continue to develop me and give me all the opportunities I need to run fast and compete well, especially when it comes to indoor and outdoor track.”

After winning the national title, she had her sights set on the record. She did a great job of not focusing on it as a record but another opportunity to compete. This was the first time she was in a pack in a while so that kept her engaged and competing throughout. She’s a student of the sport and is amazed that she has overtaken the top spot in D3 especially with those who came before her.

We finish the conversation talking about the national meet. While she was the clear favorite, she explains why she still got nervous and lacked a bit of confidence the night before the meet. However, she let us know tactics she uses to keep her nerves at ease.

How to Support D3 Glory Days:

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“I’m just so grateful for those guys. They're the whole reason I'm here, they're the reason I'm pushing, they're the reason I race like that. And damn, I just love them. I love them to death and I'm so proud of them.”

The redemption arc the whole division was watching.

In May, Ethan Gregg was DQ’d for a false start in the 5k final. In November, he won the D3 XC Individual National Title.

Gregg takes us through the aftermath of the DQ and the guilt he felt as he believe it affected UWL’s chances at a team title.

He spent the summer in Boulder living with guys from Cornell College and it helped him recover from the painful day. He used that DQ as positive motivation to not let it affect his training. He knew his job was to get fit to help his team in November.

While he was happy to win the individual title, it was hard to fully enjoy it as UWL lost by just one point for the team title.

As always, Ethan brings great perspective on how much the team means to him and the motivation he derives from them.

How to Support D3 Glory Days:

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“You can anticipate something like that all season. Like in theory, we knew we could do it. But actually seeing that [the scoreboard with Carleton #1] and knowing that we did it was just a completely different thing.”

Phoebe Ward, Sophie McManus, and Mary Blanchard join D3 Glory Days to relive their national championship!

With all but Clara Mayfield returning from last year’s team, Carleton knew they had something special. They relied on their pack running and knew every runner mattered as they got closer to Nationals.

The turning point in the season was when they won the Mike Woods Invite, taking down SUNY Geneseo, Johns Hopkins and Lynchburg. Before the race, they were hoping to finish third.

What propelled Carleton forward this year was how close they were a team. On the line they kept things loose and reminded each other of what makes them stand out.

How to Support D3 Glory Days:

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“And to think, not what if it goes wrong, what if it goes really well, it's just super empowering.”

What a weekend for D3 Cross Country. We begin telling the stories of the weekend with Lucas Florsheim and Derek Fearon. They're fresh off a team title after coming into the championship ranked 8th.

They touch on the highs of winning in 2021 and the lows of finishing 5th in 2022.

This duo brings great perspective and thoughtful answers on their time at Pomona, the culture they built, and what helped them remain relaxed heading into the national meet.

Lucas finished 9th and Derek finished 10th to become three time All-Americans.

While their time may be done running XC for Pomona, we should see them next year in a different uniform.

How to Support D3 Glory Days:

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We sit down with 6 coaches to review their seasons and what they're excited for the D3 Cross Country National Championship.

They all bring a unique perspective to their situation and provide valuable insights for runners and coaches.

You'll hear themes of positivity and building of team cultures. You get a sense of why these programs are contending for a national title.

Time Stamp

2:34 - Donna Ricks - Carleton

12:28 - Derek Stanley - UW-La Crosse

24:06 - Ryan Chapman - Wartburg

40:58 - Tyler Deck Shipley - NYU

52:13 - Matt Sinnott - North Central

1:05:44 - Tim Connelly - Carnegie Mellon

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The interregional weekend proved to be an exciting weekend. With strong performances all over the country, we’re highlight two pairs that ran well together and for their team. Two Pocket Aces Awards today.

The Pocket Aces award on the Men’s side goes to Frank Csorba and Chasen Hunt. Frank and Chasen went 1-2 at the Mike Woods Invite and led Lynchburg to a runner-up performance.

We spoke to them about the season so far, their summer training, and how placing 30th last year has been a key motivator. We also dive into Chasen’s big jump this season, Frank’s experienced, and what their team goals are.

The Pocket Aces award on the Women’s side goes to Penelope Greene and Rachel Hirschkind. Penelope and Rachel went 1-3 to lead SUNY Geneseo to a Runner-Up team finish at the Mike Woods Invite.

They spoke to how nice it is not having to travel during the interregional weekend and get strong competition to their home course. Penenlope spoke about the injury she suffered last cross country season and how this past track season relit her spark. Rachel touched on the motivation behind this season and not letting rankings get in the way.

How to Support D3 Glory Days:

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Teams from all over the country traveled to Pennsylvania to get a look at the National Meet course.

Typically the Pre-National meet is circled on the calendar and produces great performances.

The CMS women flew from California and put on a show. They won 51-99 over MIT and put 5 in the top 15. We're joined today by Nat Bitetti and Elle Marsyla who finished 2nd and 5th.

Nat and Elle go into the dynamics of traveling across the country during the season, their team goals, and who is more likely to half step on easy runs.

You'll also here how they prepare for races and more about the CMS team culutre.

Simon Heys won the Men's race taking down former ROTW, John Lucey. Simon give a preview of the course, his goals for the season, and talks about his progression as a runner.

This is Simon's second timing winning the Pre-National Meet and is looking forward to the post season.

How to Support D3 Glory Days:

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The D3 Cross Country season is heating up. The big meets are approaching and the performances are taking it up a notch.

For Week 5, we’re bring back the Pocket Aces award and recognizing someone who faired well against strong competition.

The Pocket Aces award goes to Morgan Uhlhorn + Grace Richardson from NYU. This duo finished third and fourth at the Paul Short Brown Race which helped NYU take the team win.

Last year, we saw a resurgence from the NYU squad and Grace Richardson was a big part of that. They finished 26th in the nation and showed flashes of their potential. Vivian Kane made the outdoor track national meet and now add in a strong first-year in Morgan Uhlhorn, the Violets are looking like a contender.

We took the liberty to combine all D3 teams from Paul Short. they finished just six points behind SUNY Geneseo. With Morgan and Grace leading the way, they deserving of the Pocket Aces award. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to Interview them but want to recognize them anyway.

Max and North Central traveled down to Louisville to take on strong D1 and D2 competition. Max finished sixth in a race that featured Adams State, Grand Valley State and Purdue. Svienty led NCC to a fifth place team finish as well.

Looking at where Max finished, he would have been the number one runner for Grand Valley and Purdue plus the number two for Adams State. When speaking to Max, he likes to go into these races with a mindset that division doesn’t matter. He’s ready to take on any competition and show D3 runners can be just as good.

We spoke with Max during track about getting NCC back on track. Though it’s early in the season, the team feels confident with how the season has gone so far. They’re feeling ready to take on these big meets and get NCC back to the podium.

How to Support D3 Glory Days:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠D3 Glory Days Venmo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We launched a Patreon!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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